Page 35 of Claiming Ours (Anchor Bay #2)

It looked like Memphis tried to smile, but the adrenaline high was wearing off, so it was more of a grimace.

“Memphis Thomas, and thanks. The last year working as a medic in Orlando helped prepare me for shit like this, but”—he grabbed an alcohol wipe from the bag and started cleaning his hands—“having no hospital close by is throwing me. How do you guys do it?”

“Most of our injuries can be treated by Dr. Richards, but if they’re too severe and you don’t have someone like you or Langston around, then you’re fucked,” Carl said, his tone distant as he stared at the puddle of blood on the cement.

“Which isn’t okay. Not for our community or anyone in Anchor Bay.

Yes, everyone understands the risks when they move here, but I still wish we could do more. ”

I nodded while rubbing the back of my neck with one hand, holding Baylee tight to my side with the other. “Maybe we need someone dedicated to responding to trauma. Langston is great from his time in the military, but like now, he’s not here all the time. He has a full-time job to manage.”

“We’d need someone who could do the job, be available at any time, and understand the complexities of being this remote,” Amy said, cutting her eyes over to Memphis, who was busy scrubbing at his nails with a clean alcohol wipe. “Yeah, let’s think about that.”

Baylee looked up at me, brows raised. Pitching forward, I kissed the top of her head and gave her hip a squeeze.

“This isn’t going to work,” Memphis grumbled. “I need a shower to get clean.”

“Or just stand out in the rain,” Ethan said, inclining his head toward the steady downpour. “Fuck, this is a lot of water in a short period.”

“Come on,” I said to Memphis. “I’ll walk back with you to Baylee’s place.

I need to change into dry clothes before I can finish my chores.

” I winced when I shifted, the wet jeans rubbing against my damp, cold skin.

“You want to come with us, Little Bit, or should I bring you a change of clothes and lunch to the barn?”

“I’ll, um, meet you back in the barn,” she said distractedly. She motioned to the ground where West had been lying. “That was a lot, and I need a second to process it.”

I furrowed my brow when she stepped out of my hold and started in the direction of the barn. Not liking the idea of her being alone, I went to follow her, only to have a gentle hand wrap around my wrist.

“Let her go,” Amy said softly, watching Baylee jog through the rain. “I think seeing West made her remember that even we’re not immune to accidents and how quickly things can change. I’m sure it’s dragging up old feelings of how one day things were fine, then the next… her world imploded.”

“Then I should be with her,” I grumbled, hating the idea of Baylee hurting and me not being there for her. “She shouldn’t have to process all that alone.”

“She’s right,” Memphis said while tossing everything he didn’t use back into Langston’s medic bag.

“Let her have some time to think through her thoughts. When she’s ready to talk about it, she’ll let us know.

Until then, I’m not sure she even knows how she’s feeling right now, much less how we can help her.

We can check on her after we get cleaned up. ”

With a reluctant nod, I raised a hand in goodbye to Ethan, Amy, and Carl, and followed Memphis, who was already striding through the rain.

“Great job back there,” I said over the sound of our boots sloshing in the rivers running along the main road through the community.

“Thanks.” He smiled and tipped his face up to the rain. “I love it, that high from the intensity and stress. I guess I switched out one addiction for another.”

“But this one isn’t killing you and is helping others. I say it’s a good trade.” He nodded in agreement. “As long as this keeps scratching that itch and you don’t go back to what was hurting you.” And had the potential to hurt Baylee.

“It’s a daily struggle—I won’t lie about that. Especially the alcohol because it’s everywhere. I can handle it, though, and it’s only just being surrounded by alcohol, like in a bar.”

“And that was where we went for lunch yesterday.” I ran a hand down my face. Even though I asked him if he was good, I should’ve made sure, should’ve double-checked he wasn’t just saying yes for me. “Fuck, this will take some getting used to.”

“It’s fine?—”

“No, it’s not,” I snapped before I could reel in my temper.

“My job, my focus, is to protect those around me, keep them safe, even if that means from themselves. Which means it’s on me to think through my actions and how they’ll affect us.

” The term us came easily, which scared the fuck out of me but was comforting too.

“I don’t want to put you in a situation again where you’re uncomfortable. That’s not what protectors do.”

His smile grew, and he shot me a look I couldn’t read.

“What?” I asked.

“She’s right, you know.”

“Who?”

“Baylee,” he said with a laugh as we climbed the stairs to her cabin.

I beat him to the door and unlocked it, swinging it open for him to walk through first. “Fuck, we’ll get her place soaked.”

Memphis turned, scanning the area. “I’ll just strip out here. I’m not shy.” Without a word from me, he pulled off his wet shirt, then toed off his boots and started on his jeans.

With a shrug, I followed suit, not caring who saw me, but when I got to the button of my jeans, I grimaced.

“What?” he asked, already down to his underwear and standing inside the cabin, holding the door open for me.

“I don’t like underwear, and I don’t want everyone out here seeing my dick,” I mumbled under my breath. Memphis barked out a laugh. “Fuck off. Go get in the shower.”

When he held up both hands in surrender, the door started to close. Slapping a hand to the center, I kept it open. “What was Baylee right about?”

“Yesterday when we were walking around while she showed me this place, she said you’re just a big softy. I didn’t believe her, thought it was just her you were that way with, but now I’m thinking she’s right.”

“I could kill you a dozen different ways right now with my bare hands,” I snapped.

He just nodded, that damn smile not dimming. “Okay, okay. I won’t bring it up again, tough guy. You’re a big scary cowboy who could kill me.”

“Damn right, I am,” I muttered, feeling a little better at his words.

“Though I think her description of you as her….” He tapped a finger against his cheek, pretending to think. “Oh, that’s right. Her Tootsie Pop. That’s much more accurate.”

With a snarl, I lunged for him, making him curse and bolt through the cabin, his laughter cutting off when the bathroom door slammed shut.

But as hard as I tried, I couldn’t stop fucking smiling.